1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing at least part of a communications network and particularly for managing a customer network.
2. Description of the Prior art
Customers who make extensive use of a service provider's network are often provided with a "virtual private network". This enables them to control part of the service provider's network under an agreement such as a "service level agreement". The service level agreement typically specifies the bandwidth levels that the customer is allowed to use and other factors such as quality factors. If this bandwidth level is exceeded at any time by the customer, data can effectively be "discarded". However, it is very difficult for the customer to predict bandwidth requirements in advance in order to negotiate for a larger bandwidth when this is required. Also, if the service provider allows the agreed bandwidth level to be exceeded by allocating additional resources then penalty payments may be invoked.
If the agreed bandwidth level is exceeded by the customer there is also a problem for the service provider. The service provider has to decide whether to allocate extra resources to the customer and determine whether this is possible and how it can be achieved. Once the decision is made it needs to be implemented. This involves analysis of the communications network to see what bandwidth is available. These decisions are complex because they depend on many factors, such as costs, effects on other customer's allocated resources, and the possibility of charging the customer more for the extra bandwidth to be allocated.
Because different customers have different priorities and requirements it is difficult to develop a generic method of managing a customer network. Also, the customer himself requires to use the method of managing his network and so the method must be simple and easy to use.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for managing at least part of a communications network and particularly for managing a customer network which overcomes or at least mitigates one or more of the problems noted above.